Moscow traffic third-worst in the world – report

Moscow has been ranked third on the list of the world cities with the highest level of traffic jams.

According to the rating prepared by Financial Times, drivers face the world’s worst traffic in Beijing, with Johannesburg and Moscow closely following it. The rating is based on time that drivers and passengers have to spend daily in traffic jams.

Other cities on the list include New Delhi, Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires; they are followed by European capitals Madrid, London, Paris and Berlin, and finally, New York.

At the moment the world's largest traffic jam, almost 62 miles long, is in its 10th day in Beijing. The traffic jam formed because of road construction, and is expected to last almost for a month.

The situation in Moscow is not quite as tragic, but the constantly-congested roads, some of which are blocked for most of the day, pose a serious problem to the city residents.

For instance, in December 2009 alone, an average Muscovite driver wasted 20 hours in traffic jams; altogether during the year, he or she lost almost seven days, or around 168 hours, claims a report by Russian news service Yandex.

In comparison, an average resident of New York City and its suburbs sits in traffic an extra 34 hours a year, the Texas Transportation Institute said in 2009.